Human Trafficking - Page Text Content

1: Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purpose of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery. It has been identified as one of the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, second only to drug trafficking. | Speak Against Injustice. Date unknown. Photographer unknown. www.speakagainstinjustice.wordpress.com

2: Human Trafficking: War for the Truth. March 21, 2012. Author unknown. www.erasetheneed.wordpress.com

3: There are different forms of human trafficking that include bonded labor, forced labor, and sex trafficking. Bonded labor, also known as debt bondage, is the most widely used method of slavery among people. Victims of this form of slavery become bonded laborers when their labor is demanded as a means of repayment of a loan or service. Forced labor is where someone is forced to work against their will, in which they are threatened by violence or some other sort of punishment. Forms of forced labor include domestic servitude, agricultural labor, sweatshop factory labor, janitorial, food service, and other service industry labor. Many victims of sex trafficking are sold into prostitution or in the pornography field.

5: Sex trafficking victims are many times easily targeted victims. Many of these individuals are homeless, runaways teens, refugees, job seekers, tourists, kidnap victims, and drug addicts, making them easy to prey on. These victims are living lives of misery, often being beaten, starved, raped, and forced to work grueling jobs. It takes not only a physical toll, but a huge psychological toll on the lives of the victims.

7: Many women and men are roped into human trafficking by fake job offers. Others can be roped in with promises of marriage, education, or an overall better quality of life. | Human trafficking is especially prominent in children. Children are being forced into prostitution. These children are sold for profit over and over again. Sometimes they are even sold into illegal adoptions. Pregnant women are also sold into trafficking for the purpose of illegal adoption.

9: Human trafficking is hidden from much of the world and many people are unaware that is happening right in front of their faces. Human trafficking is commonly seen only as a problem that occurs overseas, however human trafficking is continually growing the United States. It is estimated that there are over 100,000 children here in the United States that are involved in sex trafficking. Women are being held against their will and being forced to work for free. Escaping is not an option as they are in the hands of violent and powerful abductors.

11: This social problem of human trafficking is explained as the conflict perspective. Power is gained by coercion and many times victims are determined by race, gender, or ethnicity. Solving the problem of human trafficking is going to need the help of those in power to spread the world about what is happening. Those victims need a voice to speak out for them as many times victims or human trafficking are in dire situations in which they have no other choice but to go along with what is happening. We need to advocate for these victims and shed light on this growing problem within out society.